Some of alternative music’s best and brightest have come together for a new tribute album set to celebrate The Velvet Underground & Nico‘s groundbreaking 1967 self-titled debut. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico is out on September 24th via Verve.
Set to appear on I’ll Be Your Mirror are Courtney Barnett, Iggy Pop & Matt Sweeney, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Kurt Vile & The Violators, St Vincent & Thomas Bartlett, Sharon Van Etten with Angel Olsen, Thurston Moore & Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Bird & Lucius, Fontaines DC, Matt Berninger (The National), and King Princess.
Along with the announcement, Verve has shared the first preview of the album with Kurt Vile & The Violators’ “Run Run Run”. The cover puts a decidedly modern spin on the album that laid the groundwork for lo-fi garage rock, updating it for the 21st century with a more polished sound.
“I literally covered ‘Run Run Run’ when I was a kid,” Vile said in a statement. “In my late teens with my band at the time. So it was pretty cosmic, let’s say. There is a direct connection to certain indie bands and beyond w/ the Velvets. That’s why the Velvets are a classic. You know it can have doo-wop in there and things like that, but it can also have this jagged noisy thing, and it immediately let me feel like I could do anything. The possibilities are endless. You’re completely free. Unapologetic and effortless.”
Listen to Kurt Vile & The Violators cover “Run Run Run” below and scroll down to see the full I’ll Be Your Mirror tracklist and album art. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico is available here for pre-order.
Kurt Vile & The Violators – “Run Run Run” (The Velvet Underground & Nico)
[Video: Kurt Vile]
[H/T Brooklyn Vegan]